Work at height: what a work-at-height instructor sees, and how it changes the estimate
Work at height, under the training programmes of Israel's labour inspection department, is any work above 2 metres, and also any place where there is a risk of falling. Such jobs add costs to the estimate that the bill of quantities does not always show: training, equipment, scaffolding, anchor points, engineering design and time. An instructor who knows the field sees them in advance, before contractors are asked for quotations.
What the regulations require, in short
The basis is the Work Safety Regulations (Work at Height), 2007. According to the training programmes of the labour inspection department (in Hebrew):
- Training is given by a work-at-height instructor who received a certificate from a training institution and is listed in the register.
- Practical training is given in groups of 10 trainees at most, and theory in groups of up to 25.
- The pocket card is only a first indication and does not replace the training form.
- For a group that does not speak Hebrew, the operator of the work arranges a skilled interpreter.
- The instructor keeps training records for at least 4 years.
The 2025 amendment to the construction regulations also touches height. According to the short guide of the safety directorate (in Hebrew), the works manager stops the installation of fall-prevention fencing or of a mechanised scaffold that does not match the engineering plan. So some measures need an engineering plan before work starts, and that plan has a price too.
Work at height in the estimate: what costs money
An instructor looking at a project first asks where people will work above the ground, how many workers, with which equipment and in what order. The lines of the estimate follow from that:
| Item | Why it is needed | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|
| Training for each worker | No worker goes up without suitable training | Training hours by the number of workers and roles |
| Personal fall-arrest equipment | Harnesses, lanyards and arresters for everyone working above the ground | Units per crew, including inspection and replacement |
| Anchor points and lifelines | Somewhere to clip on along the whole job | Units and metres, sometimes with design and installation in advance |
| Scaffold, lifting platform or mechanised scaffold | By the type of work, the height and the access | m² of façade times duration, or hire by duration |
| Guardrails and fall-prevention fencing | Slab edges, shafts and openings | Linear metres per floor |
| Lower output | Work while clipped on is slower, and wind stops the work | A higher unit rate, or extra time |
Part of these lines goes into the site overheads and part into the unit rates. What matters is that each item appears once: scaffolding forgotten in the estimate comes back as a variation, and scaffolding counted both in the overheads and as a separate item makes the offer more expensive for no reason. Procurement is affected too, because scaffold and platform hire is bought from suppliers, and it is worth asking for quotations in advance.
Scaffolding and anchor points: the type sets the price
A façade scaffold, a mobile scaffold, a lifting platform and a mechanised scaffold are not the same price or the same time. The choice depends on the height, the access to the building, the duration of the work and what is underneath: a pavement, a neighbour's yard or a kindergarten. A scaffold over a pavement needs protection for passers-by, and sometimes coordination with the local authority.
Anchor points are an item that is easy to miss. On a roof, a façade or in a shaft, the worker needs somewhere to clip on. When there is no such point, the work stops halfway to design and install one, and that is time and people waiting.
The rule: an anchor point that was not planned in advance is work that stops halfway. Plan it before the work, and put both its installation and its inspection into the estimate and the budget.
Asbestos: only with a permit and only by licence holders
An old asbestos roof is both work at height and work that requires a licence. According to the asbestos work permit application form of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (in Hebrew), the work starts only after a permit is received from the commissioner under the Law for the Prevention of Asbestos and Harmful Dust Hazards. It is carried out by licensed people: an asbestos contractor, a responsible worker and, when the work requires it, a friable asbestos supervisor, while a laboratory takes samples. The work ends only after a summary report to the commissioner, and people return to the building only with written clearance.
For the estimate this means several things: the rate of a licensed contractor rather than an ordinary demolition contractor, sampling and supervision, disposal under the permit, and waiting for the permit, which enters the programme. When preparing an estimate for demolition or for an addition on an existing roof, check first whether there is asbestos.
Who should read this before pricing
A realistic estimate for jobs above the ground needs someone who has worked on sites: who knows how long a scaffold takes to put up, where anchor points are needed and what happens to the programme when a worker has not been trained. Like Yaakov Avital: a graduate of the work-at-height instructors course (2020) and of the workplace safety officers course (2021), and a certified works manager, on site since 2012. For the safety of the whole site, see construction site safety costs.
A quantity surveyor may be an engineer or a registered building technician, like Yaakov Avital. Yaakov measures the quantities like a contractor; pricing and estimates are an extra service, with verbal feedback and no commitment. Details on the quantity surveyor for construction projects page.
Frequently asked questions
From what height is it work at height?
Under the training programmes of the labour inspection department, above 2 metres, and also anywhere there is a risk of falling.
Who trains the workers?
An instructor who received a certificate from a training institution and is listed in the register. Practical training is given in small groups, of 10 trainees at most.
Who removes an asbestos roof?
A licensed asbestos contractor, after an asbestos work permit has been received from the commissioner at the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Is scaffolding part of the overheads?
It depends on the BOQ: sometimes it is in the overheads, and sometimes a separate item in m² of façade. What matters is that it appears once. An example of safety quantities is on the site safety officer and works manager page.
Have a project? Tell me briefly what the project is and what already exists. When the project is a good fit, I usually reply with focused questions and a written quote.
Contact me for a quote* Created with AI for marketing, for illustration only. Not reviewed by Yaakov Avital and not professional advice. Every project must be checked on its own by a professional quantity surveyor and an engineer.